Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, has stated that the first half of 2012 witnessed close to 500 fibre cable cuts across the country.
He said it costs GH¢17,000 on the average to repair the damaged cables.
The fiber optic cables are used by many telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals, internet communication and cable television signals.
A break in the cables, which is mainly caused by road construction works, causes distraction in network connectivity.
He noted that the development was greatly affecting the business of telecom operators, as well as their subscribers.
Mr. Sakyi-Addo, who stated this in an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE after the Chambers Second Knowledge Forum on fibre cuts in Accra, indicated that apart from the high cost of repair, there is also reputational damage to the operator because of the subscriber’s inability to access the network.
He said “indeed fibre cut is not just about how it affects the industry, but the inconvenience that subscribers go through when they are unable to access the network.”
The forum, which was on the theme, ‘Cable cuts: How they hurt subscribers and the Telecoms Industry,’ attracted stakeholders in the telecom sector, the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) and other road funding agencies.
Mr. Sakyi-Addo noted that the forum highlighted challenges of the industry and also enabled subscribers to understand that “those days when several hours calls and text messages do not go through they will understand that there has to be a decent reason for that to happen. Moreover, it was also to make clear the fact that it is not in the interest of any network operator to deny its subscribers access to its network.”
He appealed to telecom companies to ensure that they properly mark areas where cables are located for easy identification by road constructors and other pedestrians.
He added that “the Chamber and telcos are working with the road agencies to collaborate with them in coming out with appropriate suggestions to relocate some of the cables in the event of a new road construction or rehabilitation.”
He noted that to further address the problem, operators must collaborate to share trenches so that multiple cables would be laid in the same trench.
There were presentations from Larry Arthur, Acting Chief Technical Officer, Tigo Ghana and Musah Yayah, a representative from GHA, who stressed the need for consumers to play the watchdog role in ensuring that fibre cables are protected from thieves who sometimes cut the cable to sell.
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